U-14 Pre-Academy squad finishes first in CalNorth CRL Division

The San Jose Earthquakes youth soccer club clinched its first-ever berth in the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) Far West Regional League Championship (FWRL) when the U14 Pre-Academy Team defeated Santa Clara Sporting 99 White 4-0 in San Jose on Nov. 4 to win the California Regional League Division Championship. The championship also earned the team automatic qualification into the prestigious US Youth Soccer National League for the 2013-2014 season.

The victory wrapped up a weekend which also saw the 14’s tie Santa Clara Sporting 99 Green (1-1) and defeat Alliance Olympique 3-1.

The USYSA Far West Regional Championship will be held next June in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will feature the champions from 14 Western states, including clubs from Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

The SJ Earthquakes U14 Pre-Academy team is based in San Jose, Calif. and is composed of players from throughout Northern California. The Pre-Academy teams of the San Jose Earthquakes are charged with the mission of developing players for advancement within the Earthquakes’ youth organization.

The Far West Regional League is for boys and girls teams in the Under-12 through Under-18 age groups. The Northern Division includes teams from Idaho, Oregon and Washington this year, and is also available to teams from Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and Northern Nevada. Competition will continue through June and additional developments are expected next season as the league continues to evolve. Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Southern Nevada and Utah will compete in the Desert Division, while California North and California South make up the California Division.

The National League is an extension of the highly successful US Youth Soccer Regional Leagues (Region I Premier League, Region II Midwest Regional League, Region III Southern Premier League and Region IV Far West Regional League). Automatic Regional League qualification was added to the National League format in January of this year, and two teams per age group from each of the four Regional Leagues will earn a spot in the 2013-2014 National League season.